Clam

Recent Recipes

• 1

  Dirty Rice With Smoky Grilled Sausage From Derrick Worthey

  I fell in love with paella when I visited Marbella, Spain. Ironically, I also had a native Louisianian introduce me to Cajun-style Dirty Rice while I was there, and over the years I’ve continued to enjoy both dishes. When I couldn’t decide which one I loved more, it was time to combine the best of both worlds, and that’s how Dirty Rice With Smoky Grilled Sausage came to be.
  
  This dish is a delicious mash-up of two of my favorite recipes featuring saffron rice cooked in clam juice and a mirepoix consisting of chopped red onions, garlic, and red bell peppers. Smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and saffron are a nod to traditional paella, while each shake of Cajun seasoning and the Zatarian’s 100 percent pork Andouille Smoked Sausage is a nod to the very best of Louisiana’s culinary offerings. Cooking the Cajun Style Smoked Sausage on a charcoal grill imparts an even deeper smoky flavor that elevates this dish.
  
  I like to keep things light and fresh by adding the vibrant flavors of serrano peppers, tender green onions, and torn pieces of flat-leaf parsley. This beautiful entree is served with wedges of fresh lemon to brighten the whole affair. — Derrick Worthey

• 2

  Portuguese Cataplana

  "Cataplana" is the word for both the dish and the spherical pot it's cooked and served in. This pork and seafood stew is found in the Algarve, in Portugal. You don't need a cataplana to make this; a Dutch oven or large pot with a tight-fitting lid does the trick (though it may not be quite the same). The shrimp stock recipe was adapted from My Portugal by George Mendes. The cataplana recipe was inspired by David Leite, The New York Times, and the well-lit photos of Trip Advisor.

• 3

  Garlicky Clams in Rosé

  During the summer months, I always keep the fridge stocked with a few bottles of rosé. But I don’t just drink rosé—I cook with it, too. In addition to being the perfect warm-weather beverage, it’s also an ingredient that can perk up just about any recipe.
  
  I can’t take much credit for this brilliant idea. A few years ago my friend Emily hosted a dinner party in the Hamptons and served a pot of fresh littleneck clams steamed in rosé as an appetizer. The glorious combination of dry wine, briny clams, butter, and garlic is one I’ll never forget. In fact, I daydream about it often.
  
  When I make this dish now, I add whole pink peppercorns. Crackly enough to add great texture, but also tender enough that they don’t need to be ground. And, like rosé, they’ve got a pretty pink blush with subtle fruity flavor.
  
  Since this is a dish best served outside, I highly recommend doing all of the cooking and charring on the grill. But if you’d rather cook indoors, just place a cast-iron pot on the stove and use your broiler to char the bread.
  
  If you’ve never cooked fresh clams, a couple things to know: First, discard any clams that have broken or cracked shells. The clams should be tightly clamped shut. If they’re open, give them a tap on the counter. If they close back up, they’re good. If they stay open, discard them.
  
  To clean the clams, set them in a bowl of cold tap water. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes and allow the clams to spit out any sand they may have collected. If you’re using farmed clams, they’ll likely already be cleaned, but I like to do this regardless. It’s better to have extra-clean clams than a pot of sandy ones.
  
  Littleneck clams are small, briny, and a bit sweet. Manila clams, which may be more widely available, work well, too. Larger varieties of clams also do the trick—just be sure to tack on a few extra minutes to make sure they’ve got enough time to steam.
  

• 4

  Steamed Clams with Grilled Bread

  One of the most enjoyable combinations is grilled bread and the broth from steamed clams. This recipe is special because it explicitly instructs you to place a piece of grilled bread at the bottom of your bowl, and then to ladle the clams and broth over the top of the bread. If you eat the clams first, you will be left with a piece of grilled bread turned soft after absorbing the broth. This is the best part.

• 5

  Spaghetti with Clams, Parsley, Garlic, and Lemon (x2)

  In the summertime, I like a bowl of spaghetti with clams for dinner. And I like the clams to bathe in a sauce of olive oil, parsley, enough garlic and red pepper flakes to get your attention, and a dousing of lemon juice so the flavors feel crisp. I also added slivers of preserved lemon, which grant the sauce the powerful fragrance of lemons, but barely a drop of juice -- think of it as lemon squared.

• 6

  Drunken Clams with Sausage

  I developed this dish by experimenting with my favorite ingredients -- clams, sausage, wine and heavy cream. I love it because it is simple to make, because it takes very little time, because it impresses the crowd, and most of all, I love it for the broth! The broth takes me to another world and I can never have enough of it. But the key to getting the dish right lies entirely in CLEANING YOUR CLAMS PROPERLY! So before you go and take the plunge, here is a link to a pretty good explanation on how to do it http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-clean-the-sand-out-of-c-58389.